Defending the Land Blog

For more than a decade, Scott Spare and his family have farmed with a precise eye on their productivity. Spare farms with his parents near Hiawatha, Kansas, raising corn and soybeans. Reduced tillage and a commitment to precision farming has proven vital to their operation. Every piece of equipment...

The more Iowa farmer Ben Pederson hears about the use of cover crops, the more convinced he is that it was the right addition to his current cropping practices. Already a strong advocate for strip-tillage, Pederson believes the use of cover crops in his cropping program was an obvious addition. In...

Commodity Classic is not only the national gathering for several of the nation’s largest agriculture organizations, it’s also one of the country’s biggest farm shows. The annual event brings thousands of farmers and hundreds of agri-businesses together to discuss issues, attend education sessions,...

Even though he didn’t grow up farming, Jesse Ranek’s passion for agriculture is unmistakable. He was raised in a farming community and had friends who farmed, which fueled his passion and love for agriculture. After college and a football career, Ranek was busy operating a sports training facility,...

As Dr. Steven Carlson walked a strip-tilled field near his home in Albert Lea, MN this past summer, he noticed something missing: soil compaction. Penetrometer readings from the neighbor’s conventionally tilled field had measured compacted soil at 15 inches, but this field was consistently showing...

Brian Ryberg may be a relative newcomer to strip-till, but you’d be hard pressed to find a farmer more committed to it. Ryberg Farms near Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, grows corn, soybeans, and sugarbeets. He began farming with his father more than 30 years ago and now runs the operation with his wife...

The world of agriculture changes so quickly that farmers need to stay diligent just to keep up. The challenges can multiply when farmers are adopting new or alternative farming practices like strip tillage. For many farmers considering new conservation tillage practices or looking for innovative...

Mike Verdonck isn’t shy about calling his SoilWarrior “the best machine on my farm.” But he did take a bit of a scenic route before making that discovery. Verdonck farms with his brother-in-law close to the St. Lawrence River south of Montreal, Quebec in Canada. He farms about 2,500 acres, growing...

The following is a guest post written for ETS by Abbey Wick, Extension Soil Specialist, at North Dakota State University. We are proud to support tillage and soil health research (like Abbey's) with the use of our equipment. It is truly an honor to serve farmers who are leading the charge in...

Nathan Legler is a farmer who is not afraid to think differently. Where most people see problems, he sees opportunities to gain new experiences. “I was taught that if I noticed something missing, I should look for a solution,” explains Legler who is the fifth generation on both sides of his family...